Extensible crank for motion-picture cameras



Dec. 9, 1952 A. 'PERROT ,6

v EXTENSIBLE CRANK FOR MOTiON-PICTURE CAMERAS Filed Oct. 31, 1950 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Dec. 9, 1952 A. PERROT EXTENSIBLE CRANK FOR MOTION-PICTURE CAMERAS Filed Oct. 51, 1950 2 SHEETS SHEET 2 Patented Dec. 9, 1952 'EXTENSIBLE CRANK FOR MOTION-PICTURE ..CAMERAS Arnold Perrot, Nidau, Switzerland .Application October 31, 1950, Serial .No. 193,108 In Switzerland November 5,1949

'3 -'Claims. (Cl. 74547) "This invention relates to crank mechanism of the "kind used for instance in connection with motion;picture cameras.

In many motion picture cameras now on the "market,"the cranks for winding the springmech- "anisms, if made sufficiently long to render winding convenientyare bound to be interfered with by the lens revolver, in certain positions of the latter. To obviate this drawback, some cameras -now'carry extensible cranks where the extension is pushed back,and the length of the crank is "correspondingly shortened, whenever the lens revolver would interfere with the crank as extended.

' It is an object of the present-invention to fur- 'ther improve the winding'mechanism of a motion picture camera by providing an extensible crank part which is also detachable so it may serve as an auxiliary crank, for example, for manual 'win'ding of the film, thus eliminating the extra crank previously required, for example for the back and forth winding of the film in the blending over procedure common with trick films.

A further object of this invention is to provide a non-detachable crank part which, should the detachable crank portion get lost, may be its position of rest;

Fig. 2 is a side view'of the extended crank in working position;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the crank in the position shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section along the line IVIV in Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 shows the non-detachable part of the crank set up as an emergency crank, and the detachable part mounted to serve as crank for manual winding, both in working position.

Referring now to the drawing, the crank comprises a non-detachable part I, and a detachable extension 2. The part I has a U-shaped section. At one end of the part I, a mounting part 2 is pivoted to the flange 3 of the U-shaped part I by a pivot 4. A driver 5 is mounted, by means of a screw bolt 6, for free rotation in the mounting part 2 and is secured in axial direction by means "of a screw nutl. fThe' part of the screw bolt 6 projecting beyond'the nutl.

is screwed counter-clockwiseinto the "winding shaft of the spring mechanism of the camera 8.

A helical spring 9 is wound on the pivot shaft 3, one end of the springabutting against 'part 2 while the other abuts against the non-detachable crank part I. This spring tends to turn the mounting part '2 clockwise "from the position shown in Fig.1, into the position shown in Fig. 2. The non-'detachable'part I ,the flanges 3 of which are 'bent at their free ends at Ill, forms a sliding guide for the detachable part 2. On the far side relative tothe mounting part 2 of part I, two lugs II support a shaft I2 on which a link I3 is mounted for free rotation. The link 13 mounts a flat handle which is free to rotate relative to the link I3; in case the non-detachable part I must serve as an emergency crank, 'the handle I l'may be turned into a position at right angles relative to the part I. On each of its faces I5 adjoining the lugs II, the link 13 has a cam I5 which may engage various recesses H in the lugs II in various predetermined positions. In order thatthe cams I 6 may disengage themselves from "the recesses [1, the part I hasa slot I 8 which'extends'to the farend relative to the -mountin part 2. of the part "I. I The-presenceof th'eslot I8 results in" the creati0n,'on part I, of'two reradially projecting cams 20 which "serve as stops for the extensible part 2 when in its extended position. The cams 2|] may be caused to disengage the part 2, by a turn of the handle I4 and the associated link part I3, so as to clear the way for a complete detachment of the crank extension part 2 from the non-detachable crank part I. For the same general purpose, the extension part 2, over the greater part of its length and on both sides, has a shoulder 2I the inner edge 22 of which is designed to be engaged by the cams 20, in the position of parts I3 and I4 shown in Fig. 1, so as to prevent detachment of the extension part 2 from the non-detachable part I of the crank.

Lugs 23 on the extensible part 2 mount for rotation, a coupling member 25 having a groove 24, which in the position shown in Fig. 1, rests in a cut-out 26 in the part I, to be maintained in this positionin which it is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the extensible part 2-by a leaf spring 21 mounted on the part 2 and resting on the coupling member 25. If the coupling member 25 is turned from the position parallel to that of part 2 (shown in Fig. 1) to a position at right angles relative to part 2 (shown in Fig. 5), the leaf spring 21 again tends to maintain the member 25 in its new position. With part 2 in extended position, the coupling member 25 rests on a supporting portion of part I 3 and, thus, cannot turn.

On its outer end the extensible part 2 mounts, for rotation, a handle 28; near the other end, the part 2 has bores 29 and movable therein, two small pistons 39 which are yieldably forced into the bores by a spring 3| so as to project from the bores upon displacement of the extensible part 2 back into the part I, e. g. toward the left in Fig. 1. The part I has apertures 32 which engage the pistons 39 in the inner position (shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 2) of the extensible part 2, to prevent displacement thereof. The stop action of the pistons 39 may be eliminated, and movability restored to the part 2, by a pull on the crank handle 28.

Fig. 1 shows the crank in its position of rest occupied when the camera is placed into its case. In order to place the crank into working posi tion, it is turned first counter-clockwise (in Fig. 1) about the shaft 4, and then about the axis of the screw 6 until the driver 5 enters the corresponding slot in the part I. The working position thus obtained is shown in Fig. 2. If the crank now is turned counter-clockwise, the part I carries along the driver 5, and the spring of the camera is wound.

Fig. 2 shows the part 2 in its extended position. If the lens revolver is in a position such that it would interfere with the turning of the crank, the extensible part 2 is pushed back into the non-extended position shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 2. The pistons 39 jump out of the bores 29 to engage, in the innermost position of the part 2, the apertures 32. The effective length of the crank is now reduced to a point where the crank may be turned without further interference on the part of the lens r revolver.

If it is desired to wind the film by hand back and forth, 1. e. to employ for blending over purposes the one-, eight-, sixteen-, twenty-fouretc. step procedure, the handle I4 is shifted from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, into the position at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the crank. This results in the cams 29 moving out of range of the abutments 22 on the shoulders 2| so the part 2 can be entirely detached from the part I. Now the coupling member 25 is turned into the position at right angles to part 2, shown in Fig. 5, and is coupled with the shaft on the camera, for the manual back and forth winding of the film (Fig. 5). Thus the part 2 may be used as an independent crank, which eliminates the need for an additional crank for manual winding. Moreover, in case the extension part 2 should get lost, the handle [4 may be turned into the position at right angles to the longitudinal axis of part l so this part may serve as an emergency crank.

I wish it to be understood that various changes within the scope of the appended claims may be made in the construction, design and mode of operation shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any advantages thereof.

I claim:

1. In a crank mechanism in combination, a shaft, a crank arm linked to said shaft for oscillation about an axis extending at right angles to the shaft axis, a holdable crank handle linked to the free end of said crank arm for oscillation about an axis also extending at right angles to said shaft axis, an extension member guided on said crank arm and a second crank handle on the free end of said extension member, said foldable crank handle in folded position forming a check for said extension member preventing it from becoming disengaged from said guiding arm.

2. The mechanism of claim 1 in combination with a coupling arm hinged to the extension member for oscillation across a slot in said extension member, said coupling arm being formed with a slotted end serving for engaging a correspondingly formed shaft end.

3. The mechanism of claim 1, in which the crank arm has a channel form and a forked end formed with grooves, the foldable crank handle being hinged to the resilient arms of said forked end and key-and-slot means on the contacting walls of the hinged parts serving for arresting said handle in active position at right angles to said arm.

ARNOLD PERROT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 250,165 Palmer Nov. 29, 1881 1,999,457 Hoehn Apr. 30, 1935 2,455,819 Smith Dec. '7, 1948 

